Xenornis

Kevin Easley and some other avid birders from Costa Rica visited the Western Azuero and Coiba with me. On 3 May we went to Changuale (East of las Flores) to try and find the Azuero parakeet. Wer did not find it, but saw many King Vultures circling above us while walking along the Pavo river.  We left for Coiba on 4 May. Between Santa Catalina and Coiba we saw Red-necked Phalaropes , Brown Noddies , a juvenile Red-billed Tropicbird and a Parasitic Jaeger . On the Las Pozos trail on Coiba we found the Coiba Spinetail and the Brown-backed Dove . There was also a male Indigo Bunting in breeding plumage (The Angehr guide does not mention that Indigo Buntings occur on Coiba). Furthermore, for the last three weeks, our hummingbird feeders are daily visited by a juvenile mango. I have attached a (small) picture of the bird. I think it is a Veraguan Mango .

Michael and Christian Gernez from Sendero Panama and Venicio Wilson visited the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal to scout some birding spots. Here are the most remarkable sightings: a very tame Yellow-throated Vireo in the garden at the mechanic who fixed our flat tire in Escobal a very shy family of White-headed Wrens in El Trogon Trail, Achiote Road a Black Hawk-eagle at Gatun Dam spillway a Crested Guan in the road to Fort San Lorenzo Yellow-rumped Warbler female Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding in the flowers at the fort a pair of Indigo Buntings The Gatun Dam spillway had 3 gates open and hundreds of gulls and terns at the spillway and at the river mouth. At both places we had a large, dark-mantled gull which I believe was a Lesser Black-backed Gull . From fort San Lorenzo we watched a tern that seemed to me like a Bridled Tern : dark gray mantle, whitish narrow collar around neck, dark crown, white forehead, black bill. Anyone going that way keep an eye in tha...

The Canopy Tower's Carlos Bethancourt sent in the following reports: I am just writing to report a couple of bird sighting that I had last week while leading a VENT tour with Kevin Zimmer. On Wednesday Feb 6 around 8:30 am we had a White-eyed Vireo that was very vocal. The bird was on the road to the spillway area in Gatún Locks; I was able to get a decent recording of it. In the same area we had about 6 females Indigo Bunting plus a pair of Dickcissel. On Friday Feb 8 in Tocumen marsh I had a nice Northern Shoveler. I was able to get a picture of this bird that was very far away as you can see a little bit of the white crescent that show on the side of the face. Also attached is a picture of that elusive bird, the Pheasant Cuckoo, that I saw on Plantation Trail this morning. They are getting into the season since they have been very vocal lately.